Will certainly bear that in mind the next time we have a museum design project, or at least nudge my colleagues to consider that. If we can surmount some of the sustainability issues, crowdsourcing could really help many museums and galleries to produce more imaginative work. It also helps to prevent that stagnation which is common when inhouse designers do not have enough exposure to external ideas, concepts and influences.

I wonder whether in the longer term, developing a discourse around design might help with that. Also, partnerships and relationship building are fluid and perhaps we could look at how we develop our networks to accommodate the develpment of issues. This would then allow designers and curators to work within the specifics of cultural and social contexts of the institution, leading the process and engaging the crowd to explore issues in partnership. No doubt versions of this will occur over time.

I came across a particularly interesting example:www.quirky.com
While this includes the usual crowdsourcing design, it also has an interesting feature ‘influence our decisions’. Here, crowdsouring is used to establish a discourse around particular issues and the more you participate, the more influential you become within that discourse.

I’m leaning towards this more structured approach to crowdsourcing as it doesn’t just engage audiences in a one-off initiative, it asks us to become active cultural participants over time. Worth having a look at!

First, crowdsourcing design may result in the dilution of a museum or institution’s unique identity and image. One of the key elements of a museum’s identity stems from the design of its exhibitions and how they fit into the configured spaces of the institution while bearing the signature of the museum. As it is, the mounting of “blockbuster” exhibitions from leading collections around the world have already resulted in some form of “McDonaldization” or “Disneyization” of museums. I believe that the crowdsourcing of design (through the best value-for-money bidder) may accelerate the commoditisation of the museum experience.

Second, crowdsourcing may be an anti-thesis to long-term partnerships and relationship building. Having an open call for designers each time an exhibition hovers around the corner may result in the need to reinvent the wheel each time. New vendors have to be taught the preferred “house style” of the institution and this may lengthen the learning curve.

Finally, any form of design crowdsourcing will only work when both curators and museum designers have a good idea of what works in the specific cultural and social contexts of the institution. Every museum has subtle nuances and details that vary from country to country. A keen understanding of each other’s position is especially important for international designers based in a different country.